The US government has been accused of launching a large and sophisticated online surveillance program, further provoking disgruntled privacy advocates across the country. The accusations came after a new report revealed that the US had made a staggering 31,000 data requests from Google in 2012 alone, potentially invading the privacy of more than 84 citizens every single day – hardly the type of behaviour to be expected from the land of the free.

What’s more, the majority of the data requests were made without a warrant, with Google relenting on a significant number of occasions. In addition to revealing the extent of the government’s current efforts, the report also hinted that the program had the potential to harm freedom of speech, making the internet a much less desirable platform.

Britain demands privacy

A new survey has revealed that the majority of British people are understandably sensitive about their online privacy, with 71% agreeing that the EU is right to take action against Google for alleged breaches of data protection rules – a further 66% would welcome even stronger action.

Brits appear to be increasingly concerned about the information collection policies of companies such as Google, with online privacy becoming a major influence in their choice of online services. EU regulators are currently preparing to launch a wide-ranging investigation into data protection claims made against the search engine giant, after it made subtle but significant changes to its privacy policy last year.

China fights back

After weeks of scathing criticism in the media, the Chinese authorities have responded to accusations of state sponsored hacking with a few accusations of their own. According to the Chinese government, a number of their own websites have been experiencing a staggering 144,000 hacking attacks each and every month since the start of 2012, with the vast majority originating from the United States.

Chinese officials have also expressed their concern over US intentions to beef up their cyber-warfare operations, describing such programs as “unhelpful” to preventing future hacking – the diplomatic tension now increasingly resembling a playground fight.